2017-07-11: Sufficiently Advanced Technology

• Log: Sufficiently Advanced Technology
• Cast: Lunata Croze, Josephine Lovelace, Shalune Amira
• Where: Yggdrasil
• Date: July 11th 2017
• Summary: Josie and Shalune take a look inside the Rephaim's cockpit to try and figure some things out, talk with Lunata about the Gear, and make some suggestions. Takes place roughly a few days after the Tournament begins.

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<Pose Tracker> Lunata Croze has posed.

A few days after the Tournament starts, Lunata's returned to the Yggdrasil -- particularly to check up on her mother, who's stable and recovering... but also to eventually address the white elephant in the room -- the Winged Gear, Rephaim.

The Rephaim commands its hangar space in the Yggdrasil - it stands just shy of 16 sharls (approximately 50 feet), possessing a sleek and slender bevelled appearance that suggests thinner armoring than most standard Gears. It's predominantly white colour scheme, laced with splashes of blue, black and grey primarily centred at its torso and throughout its joints. Its most prominent and eponymous feature are its wings, a paired array of three tapered blue spikes centred upon an ancient golden ring, olden runes scribed throughout its entire surface.

Visible hardpoints include vulcans equipped on both the head and the clavicle of the torso, and a skirt-like folding armament that appear to possibly be a high-powered ARM of some type. There are also e-caps resembling beam saber hilts seated on the side of its waist, but it is unclear whether or not they're actual weapons.

Lunata's currently seated at the cockpit, which has been opened with a service walkway pulled up to it -- Ge Ramda's remarkably transformed from a little cube following her to a fully fledged cockpit and display panel, filling out the cavity that otherwise exists when it's not present.

"Um... where should we start, Miss Josephine, Lunie? I admit I know nothing about any of this..."

The display panel looks fairly understandable to those that've worked gears before, but particularly interesting is the glass sphere that sits at the centre of the panel, ebbing with three concentric rings within.

<Pose Tracker> Josephine Lovelace has posed.

Josephine could get used to these.

Until fairly recently -- the last few months or so -- the most the archaeologist had ever seen of a Gear had usually been at a distance. Aveh soldiers tended not to approve of people getting too close to their machines, so the most she'd been able to suss out had been... at a distance.

It's been a bit of a different story on the Yggdrasil, to say nothing of a few earlier chance encounters with this type of machinery. She's no specialist in Gears by now, but she's grasped enough of the basics by this point -- a machine is a machine, even if it's 50 feet tall.

And this being 'a different story' is particularly where the Rephaim is involved.

Penelope is pointedly not here. The pigeon is not welcome in the hangar, and frankly, Josie can't exactly disagree with that logic. Having commandeered someone's toolkit (she'll ask for forgiveness later if they notice), she's since finished giving the thing her best review from the outside. There's a few things she's going to have to ask the more experienced techs about later, but...

"I don't have a clue how that works," she says, ducking into the cockpit and gesturing pointedly to the parts that used to be the cute little cube. "Ancient technology sure is something, you know?"

Cradling the kit onehandedly, she leans in to glance at the displays. "I'm not an expert, but most of this looks pretty intuitive." She pauses. She gestures at the sphere. "Except that."

Hopefully there's enough room in here or it's going to get pretty cramped.

<Pose Tracker> Shalune Amira has posed.

Shalune would be the first to admit that, prior to stepping foot on the Yggdrasil, she'd never had the chance to work on Gears before. Somehow, her successful mid-battle improvization on the Rephaim in the face of Berserk's attack was just that - powered by wild chance and hope, more than anything. Her first exclamations at the sight of the stricken Gear is a mixture of sheer excitement at getting to look the machine over, and sorrowful empathy for the beaten-up robot.

And yet, the escalation from Odd-jobber to Ruins Delver to Gear Technician doesn't seem to have fazed her in the least - quite the opposite, in fact. What she lacks in theoretical knowledge, she seems able to make up in sheer instinctive understanding, quickly managing to trace the path and shape of important structural components and conduits; if she has any blind spot, it seems to be more focused more on the computational aspects of the Gear, because she seems to have the structural aspect well in hand.

At present, she's standing on top of one of Big Shal's hands, the golem having stepped up to the Rephaim to offer her a lift to allow her to take a closer look at the ruined, missing arm. In her hands is a small notebook and stubby pencil, pulled from one pocket of her coat - she's been making sketches and notes in it all day, most of it illegible or lacking words but still extensive enough to turn the pages stiff.

She drops her arms, apparently done for the moment; obligingly, Big Shal turns towards the walkway to allow her to grin sheepishly at Lunata. "Aah... well, I really, really don't know how the whole console thing works? There's pretty much no way that should be possible, conservation of mass and everything," she adds, ignoring the fact that her own Golem seems capable of stretching that tenet on a regular basis. "I guess just-- start it up and let's see what happens? Maybe there'll be some kinda damage readout or advice."

Her mind is obviously still on the arm - not to mention, the problem of the wings currently unbalancing the poor machine.

<Pose Tracker> Lunata Croze has posed.

The cockpit is designed for one person, but it's actually reasonably spacious -- it's also quite the spectacle while it's activated, because barring a few of the broken monitors totally dispelling the illusion, it's like they're standing on a panoramic view of the Yggdrasil's hangar.

Lunata's seat is kind of partially suspended in the centre of this spherical view, made out of monitors that are somehow seamless in their display -- and there's space enough to stand, though there aren't additional seats at present to accomodate other people comfortably. But they can stand and hang around no problem.

"The-- most of what I had to do came from... this sphere," Lunata admits quietly. Looking closer, there's a small octagonal object within the centre of those concentric rings, acting as its very centre. A certain silver-haired amnesiac would probably thrust her finger out and go "Found you!!" to the cube trying to hide it some other time, but for now, for all involved, the Original Medium remains a fairly curious and unknown object.

"I could... see memories," she explains. "Memories of people riding this machine, at another time... memories of how to operate it-- then... their death."

A pause, as she bashfully asks, "Um, if we're making adjustments, Miss Josephine, Lunie, can I... request one thing, though?"

She points down towards the limited railing on the seat, then dangles her legs out where they kinda don't ... she reeeeaches ... and it barely touches against the foot pedals. "Can we... can we make the seat come closer? I think this was made for a bigger person than me..."

<Pose Tracker> Josephine Lovelace has posed.

Similarly, Josie hasn't had much in the way of formal education in the ways of mechanics (and ARMs) beyond mentorship, once, many many moons ago. What makes a Gear work? Specifically, she has no IDEA (beyond 'eats fuel') but she can get the concept of what makes it work just fine. Parts are parts, and they fall into place the more you poke at (and disassemble) the things.

Electronic systems have been a new one for her, but again, you take the basic ideas behind the configuration in an ARM or any bit of clockwork, extend it a bit, and...

Josie drums her fingers on the inside of the cockpit (near to the roof, considering her height) as she thinks. "Yeah, that little guy's taking up a whole lot more space now," she agrees, craning her head towards the displays. "Considering how old this guy is, kiddo, you really lucked out." That's said to Lunata, Josie dropping her usual nickname for the younger set into the mix. "Most of the screens aren't even busted. Good thing, because I can tell you already: I don't even know where to start with those!" She grins brightly then, as if she had said something more heartening.

The sphere, huh. "So that's the heart of this thing?" She leans in, peering close into its depths and squints. "Looks like there's something in there." She glances up at Lunata. ...You know, I've heard all sorts of things about Zeboim-era ARMs, about them making their own ammo, being able to be controlled by the mind... that kind of stuff. This seems pretty much standard." She waves a hand through the air, vaguely. "...Let me know if you see any writing anywhere. I know a guy."

Knows a girl, more accurately, given that Lily can apparently read that stuff.

"...Kinda morbid." Josie pauses, thoughtfully. "On the bright side, now you know what not to do, right?"

She pauses, nodding as Lunata makes her request. "Sure-- oh, right, and... Just call me Josie? I'm not really into 'Miss Josephine'. No offense, kiddo."

A beat trails out. Josie looks Lunata over. Looks at the pedals. Looks at Lunata. "...Yeah, that's a problem, huh? Let's see... if I were switch for the seat, where would I be..." She steps back and crouches behind Lunata's seat, poking around behind it.

<Pose Tracker> Shalune Amira has posed.

Having hopped up onto the gangplank and snuck closer to the cockpit, Shalune kind of peeks from around Josephine's side, her appearance heralded by a mass of pink hair and the archetypal bobble hat on top.

For a long moment, she stares around her wordlessly, a mixture of surprise and amazement at the interior of the Gear. The couple of shorted-out screens hanging from the panoramic display do earn something of a wince, but otherwise she seems to be beside herself in amazement. "Wa~ah... how did someone even build something like this? It doesn't even make sense, exactly - the amount of work you'd need to do to see around the Gear itself would be super huge--..." she breathes to herself for a moment, visibly stunned.

When she shakes it away, it's with an impressed smile, all traces of her worry over Ge Ramda temporarily stripped away. "Um-- so if I had to guess, um, I'd probably say that this Gear is cheating a bit?" she suggests brightly, tilting her head. "Tapping into the Guardian's power, maybe... I'd need to watch it happen to be sure, but I'd bet that that's some kinda central focus for the cockpit." She pauses, and lights up in Jacqueline's direction when she realizes: "Ah, isn't it the same kinda size as the box mode? Maybe that's got something to do with it."

"Maybe we can raise the console, or something...? I kinda get the feeling the screens might be a bit wonky if you're off centre, or something like that." She pauses, and for once looks quietly mischievous as she grins under her hat. "Ehehe. Maybe we can get you some platforms, or something."

<Pose Tracker> Lunata Croze has posed.

"I-- don't even really know what 'Zeboim' is outside of what mother's briefly told me... about it being a long time ago..." Lunata mumbles, though she doesn't quite chime in on the 'lucking out' part. There's a pause, as she recollects how it tempted her into its power and impaled her on her first visit.

... yeah ...

She shakes her head for a moment. "Oh, um-- okay," she nods at Josie's instruction about writing. "Mister Bart's fellows and I took a look already, but it doesn't have a... book or anything... and -- okay, Josie!" She hops off the seat to let Josephine inspect it. It's pretty easy to undo the railing and pull the seat forward -- that's just basic mechanics.

She does sulk at Lunie to say, "I don't wanna wear platform heels every time I ride on this..." she smiles just a bit more warmly as she says, "I do like the screens though... I'd love to just-- go out somewhere high and look around?" Lunie, don't abuse your Gear to go sightseeing.

"Oh-- but, right, there's also the matter of the broken arm..." She looks towards a certain panel that's flashing a warning. Indeed, just outside, the Rephaim's left arm is just... gone. Berserk got to it -- it's little more than a stump at this point, and the shoulder armor is also heavily mangled, along with the left side of its head.

<Pose Tracker> Josephine Lovelace has posed.

Josie pauses. "Well. ...Essentially, yes." She smiles crookedly. "Kiddo, you've just summed up in a sentence what it takes the greybeards fifty pages to say. Reminds me of why I left academia..." She sighs, largely to herself, and shakes her head. "That's all that really matters, though. It was a very long time ago, and we're still working out how to read what they left behind, let alone use or replicate it. ...When we can even find it. Linguistics isn't my forte but I know people who can read a bit, so let me know if you see something."

"It could even be the instruction manual."

Or not, since they already checked, but. It's the thought that counts.

Dark eyes skim sidelong at Shalune. "So we've got a cheater, here... That sphere's doing something with the Guardians, then? I thought that was just a Baskar trick." And Catenna's tribe, too, she silently appends. White eyebrows lift. "...Good thinking! I didn't even notice that, but you're right -- it'd be about the same size as the cube. That might be as small as it can fold. ...Hey, Lunata, can you make your little friend unfold, or does it do it on its own?"

A little bit of poking around ensues. "--Here we go! Yeah, if you move over for a second..." Getting the seat adjusted at least turns out to be pretty straightforward. "There!" Josie says, at last standing and shaking out her right hand. "That should be a better fit. I don't think that I'd want to try managing this thing in platforms, either..."

And she leans back, briefly chewing on her lower lip thoughtfully. "...That one's going to be a problem. I think even the old guys here would have trouble with the arm. To start with, we'll need to match the materials or the weight will go off... Any of those guys figure out what this thing's made out of?"

<Pose Tracker> Shalune Amira has posed.

Shalune is, sadly, about as spiritually sensitive as a woolen sock. Which makes it all the more impressive that she can pick out Ge Ramda those times when the lich reveals itself - but it does leave her kind of scratching at her mess of pink hair, grinning sheepishly as she nods her head towards Josephine.

"Um, it's really just a guess in the end, but-- no offence to Lunie, but I think it might be helping her pilot along with the visions? I mean, she did manage to start piloting really quickly, really well... and when you compare with how Ge-Ge's acting when she's on foot, I think it's gotta be something kinda similar. So I think maybe that's kind of a... focus?" she trails off uncertainly. The mechanic seems a little lost for words, still not exactly comfortable with everything that's happened lately - but she shakes it away, determined at least for the moment to keep smiling.

"Aww," she chimes when the seat gets fixed, though does nod her head to Lunata as she stares around the cockpit, back to being speechless for entirely different reasons. "Y-yeah... I mean, it really is astounding. --I mean, I think it's better if you can have the wind in your hair, y'know," she adds, suddenly grumping ever so slightly. Oh no, is she jealous for the Little Dipper's sake?! "But-- really, what a machine."

Her face visibly falls when discussion turns towards the Gear's missing arm, though, and she bites at her lip in the manner of a mechanic who's trying to figure out how much parts + wear to add on to the bill. "About that... I tried replicating some in the pot, but it just didn't really know what to do with it, and just kinda ended up confused. It'll probably be easy enough to figure out the weight, and make something in a kinda similar style that lets the mech balance, at least..." she trails off, and shakes her head. "We might even be able to link it up to the control scheme okay, but it's not gonna be the same as the original arm."

<Pose Tracker> Lunata Croze has posed.

Lunata perks up rather considerably as she sits down and reaches forward. "Oh, that's much nicer, thank you so much, Josie!" She claps her hands together.

She lets out a little hum of thought as she looks to the medium again -- and says, "A-actually, I feel like I've seen that component before when the cube turns into a sword." A pause, and she sheepishly adds, "It turns into a weapon to protect me when I'm around somewhere dangerous." It's kinda hard and awkward to explain the cube sometimes.

She thinks on the topic of the arm for a moment. "Yeah... that barrier that-- the Rephaim erected? It seems to be generated by its body... or at least that's what the mechanics are saying. So even if we stick a new arm on... it seems like it wouldn't be able to be protected, which is a problem. Lunie's right, though... a replacement would be better than just a-- stump, at least. I don't really imagine any of Mister Bart's crew have a spare arm lying around, though..."

<Pose Tracker> Josephine Lovelace has posed.

"Your guess is as good as mine, kiddo," she says, this time to Shalune. "I just worship the Guardians, I don't pretend to understand them. But I guess you could do worse than to have a Guardian or something as your co-pilot, huh?" Here, Josie flashes a bright old grin at Lunata. "A sword? Not bad, I guess it really is like a bodyguard or something."

She hasn't heard about the... other costs, yet.

Slowly, sadly, Josie shakes her head. "Replicating it's a wash, huh. ...I don't suppose you've got any samples? I use handheld ARMs, so I'm curious about the density and heft. I've heard some Zeboim-era ARMs are light as a feather, not like the clunkers they make today." Of course, there might not be much left of Rephaim's 'scraps', so that one might have to be left at the wayside.

"...Well, yeah, you could compensate for the weight," Josie starts, raising a hand as she settles around the back of the cockpit. "It would feel off, though, and there's the issue with the shields."

The tech crew mentioned that one. It's a bit out of her league, but she gets the gist of it -- the Gear will only protect what it recognizes as itself.

"Still, it's better than going around one-handed." She pauses here, only to laugh quietly to herself, as if at a joke only she gets. "If you can counterbalance for it and set up the connections, then anything will do. It's just a matter of finding a spare." Here, the archaeologist pauses again.

As Lunata says.

"...Yep, that's the other problem. And it's not like we can make one from spare metal at this size."

Josie remains silent, as if thinking.

And then her eyes light up. "...There were a few wrecked Gears out in Lahan. We came across a few. If you got lucky, maybe you'd run across one with an intact left arm." She pauses, then winks. "Worth a shot, right?"

<Pose Tracker> Shalune Amira has posed.

"I still really wanna know how that works," Shalune blurts towards Lunata, pumping her fists as she talks of the cube and its metamorphic abilities. "I mean, by rights, it just-- shouldn't. Which is also why I'm wonderin' if it's all Guardian stuff, y'know?" She does pause slightly in a tell-tale motion, though, when Josephine talks about the benefits of having such a benefactor.

She isn't really the sort to wince, but she's also not the sort to be able to hide her feelings either, and her "Y-yeah..." is a little far off and slow at first. "I mean-- Lunie's getting the hang of it, but it's still kinda unruly at times... it tends to tug her along more than she does it, and she kind of had to-- threaten it a little bit." That's the only way she can describe the end of the arena match. "But we're gonna see if Lunie can attune with it better, or something like that.

For a long moment, the pink girl chews at her lip, her thoughts drifting between concern for Lunata and concern for the Rephaim; eventually, she tilts her head with a frown. "I-- I think it'll be okay for the Gear as a whole, but-- if the replacement doesn't move just right, I think the motion of the wings might be too much for it. I mean, flight's gonna be pretty tricky with bolted-on bits... it might be safer..."

She's trailing off, hesitating more and more until she finally lets out a wordless 'baaw' and clings to Lunata's arm. "U~uuu, I don't wanna suggest you take the wings off but I can't figure any other way it'd work~k..."

At least Josephine's suggestion makes her light up again, even if she doesn't actually detach from the other Lunie. "Um. The shield's a problem, for sure, but if it's just replacement arms, I can definitely build some." From scratch? "All I need are some raw materials to start working with, and we can pretty much make whatever we want. It could be a copy of the existing arm, or a big ol' shield, or-- um, maybe a drill or something..." she trails off, full of possibility.

<Pose Tracker> Lunata Croze has posed.

"Lahan..." Lunata has heard about it from Fei, but she hasn't gone out in that dierction. Still, she's got to do what she can for the Rephaim and the Yggdrasil Alliance, so it seems like that would bear fruit. "Ah-- yes, if you wanted a sample... there are still scraps from around Rujm el-Hiri. I imagine you might even have some luck repurposing it into something a Drifter could use... like a shield, maybe? But it couldn't be rebuilt to the Gear's arm, that Metal Demon smashed it up really well..."

She nods at Shalune as well, saying, "I do want to know, too, but... it isn't as if the cube can talk to me, just give... memories. And not of itself either. If we want to know more about it... maybe going back into the Singing Ruins could provide a clue? It -is- where it's from, after all... I'd been meaning to return there sometime."

She pouts just a bit as Shalune lights up on the second problem. "Oh, right -- that's the other problem. When we did walking tests, the wings were... really heavy and causing it to tip forward and eventually fall down. Lunie said something about... stabi... lisers? Not working. People were thinking we'd have to take the wings off for now..."

<Pose Tracker> Josephine Lovelace has posed.

"Who knows? To be honest, I'd like to know more about it, too. I'm just not..." She pauses here, making a slight grimace and twirling her left hand in a rough circle. "...Not sure how to go about that. Normally, I'd take it apart and see what makes it tick--" as she said once before "--But I don't think we want to do that here."

Also she's not even sure how she'd take it apart without completely wrecking it.

"Maybe we should have one of those Guardian-talkers take a look at it. It'd be a good way to figure out if what it's doing is entirely magical, or what."

Josie's spiritual sensitivities are pretty good, but not that good.

"Taking her along for the ride, huh..." The archaeologist frowns. "...Good. Don't let it boss you around. ...Even if it's kind of cute."

A moment of silence follows. Josie winces like she just saw someone lose their lunch. "Fengalon's teeth, I didn't even think about that. Anything you do with a replacement's likely to screw over any flight capability this thing's got if it gets in the way of the wings..." She glances over at Lunata. "It's your call, though. If it's gotta be one thing or another, you should be the one to decide."

Though if the wings are heavy, that might tip the scales.

She makes a slight, faintly impressed sound. "You're just full of surprises... Well, with a ship this size, I guess Bart's got the facilities for it, if you've got the raw material." She glances again Lunata's way. "So, looks like you've got more choices to make, kiddo. Either you can go scavenge an arm, or if you can get the materials, Shalune here can design you one custom. Me, I'd opt for a scavenge, but there's no telling if there's anything out there that's a match for what you need."

Meanwhile, there are the scraps left by Rephaim. "...Really." Josie actually straightens, as if she were almost fixing to get up and head out this moment. "I might have to go and check it out -- right, I guess you've got a third option too. Maybe the ruins might have something for you. ...Probably not a spare arm for this guy, though, but there could be some information."

<Pose Tracker> Shalune Amira has posed.

"Ah-- that's true, maybe if we could work it into a shield or something it might work! I mean, it'd be really scrappy - made of scrap, and all - and there's probably not much guarantee that it'd actually carry whatever it is that makes the shield tick." ... already, though, Shalune can't hide the fact that she's looking pretty skeptical about the plan, scratching at her forehead underneath her hair and the line of her hat. "Well-- it's prob'ly worth a try, at least, short of getting a spare."

Speaking of which, the mechanic immediately bites at her lip as she thinks of Rujm el-Hiri - and specifically the idea of going down into the place in search of more answers. "... are you gonna be okay if we do?" she mumbles uncertainly, dipping her head in concern as she fusses over Lunata's arm a little, clung onto it. "I mean. Jay and I will be with you for sure, it's just... I kind of wonder if it'll be hard to face, you know? It might... really suck."

She tilts her head towards Josephine, still muted - but clearly doing her best to climb out of that and put on a bright face. "A-ah, well, the CaraKin has Mr. Cyre and Miss Catenna along for the ride, so I think we're going to consult with them a bit?" she adds, kind of speaking for Lunata in her worry and glancing towards her at the same time. "I mean, maybe if Lunie can understand it more, she can-- I dunno, put it in Lunie-timeout or something." The voice of hopeful confidence - after all, Lunie-timeouts are the fiercest thing around.

"Stabilizers, right. I think some of them must've been shorn off in the attack, or others knocked out of alignment, or probably both. I think it'll be fine in the end - it's not like we'll be getting rid of them forever," she adds with a stubborn pout. "Just-- enough of a patch to get it moving and ready while we're looking into how to fix the rest of it."

"Oh, I mean more-- if we scavenge stuff, I can use my ARM to mold it however we need. Even if it's rusty or misshapen, all I really need is the metal, and I can design a bunch of arms to see what works best!" she finishes on a high note, arm raised in a cheer... she's talking about making Gear arms out of nearly nothing. Exactly how confident is she? On the other hand, she did rebuild Big Shal in the space of a couple of days, somehow.

<Pose Tracker> Lunata Croze has posed.

To those with the spiritual sense to catch it, the cockpit does feel... strangely cold. Not unnaturally so, but there's a chill that subtly reminds one of death, like one were spending time in a morgue or some other kind of place. It perhaps comes from the sphere at the centre, but it's not exactly making overt motions at present, effectively at 'rest'.

"I think it's a good idea to scavenge," Lunata reminds Shalune. "I'm glad you can make all kinds of stuff, but we can't just rest on our laurels, right? And we might even find other neat things out there that you can use in that pot of yours..."

She bobs her head with a little squint. "I'm just thinking about how we-- have to still get stronger, you know. Can't just sit back on the Yggdrasil all day...! We have to do our part to help too, those Metal Demons are still out there."

She nods at Shalune again as she says, "I'll leave the design for the backpack to you... if that's okay? They were mentioning something how they can still keep the core unit since it has all the-- um-- thrust... thrusters? The things that make it go fast."

<Pose Tracker> Josephine Lovelace has posed.

It does feel a bit off in here, come to think of it. Like spending time in a graveyard after dusk -- not that something's wrong in the manner of Malevolence, by comparison, just lonely and cold. Maybe it's normal for ancient Gears. Maybe it's normal for ancient Gears receiving a Guardian's power.

It's honestly probably normal for this one.

"If it's rough, I can always give it a go on my own," she says, in reference to the Singing Ruins. "Well, with a team, of course." She's not suicidal.

Catenna's a name she knows. Cyre, not so much. "Good plan. If they know anything about Guardians, they might be able to put you guys on the right path. ...And maybe get an idea of how to make it obey." She closes her eyes, sighing. "Honestly, you should be a nicer cube," she half-scolds the... well, it's a cockpit right now. "Lighten up!"

Shaming the cube probably won't help, though.

"If you can store them, you could split the difference -- maybe once you learn more, you might even be able to make it good as new again." Though even the ever-optimistic Josie seems doubtful here. This is ancient technology here, the most ancient and mysterious there is.

But it's still better than giving up.

Josie lapses into silence as the two girls discuss amongst themselves, settling back against the back of the cockpit.

It's good to see girls sticking up for each other and trying their best.

"That's the spirit. It'd be a good experience for the both of you, you know? I bet any of the crew here'd give you a hand if you wanted. The more the merrier."

Josie pauses. "Just be careful of the dinosaurs. Or dragons, or whatever they are. Bart said there's some big ones in the woods around there." She grins, brightly. "Just a warning~"

A moment later and she pulls away from the wall. "Don't mind me, I'm just going to stretch my legs. A little cramped in here!" Plus it seems there's not much use for the kit after all, and she might want to return it before the real owner notices. "I'll be right back."

<Pose Tracker> Shalune Amira has posed.

Fortunately, Shalune is pretty resilient when it comes to a spiritual chill. Perhaps it's her warm and sunny disposition, or the multiple layers, or the way she's clung onto Lunata's arm. Probably all of the above.

"... uuu... you're right, I know," mumbles Shalune, letting out a breath. "If we really want to prove ourselves, we're probably gonna have to go back there... I mean, the Rephaim aside, there's probably something we can find there to help you connect with Ge-Ge a little more, as well. I'm just-- worried, y'know? It might be pretty tough," she mumbles. This time, when she rubs at the back of her hair, she possibly even manages to sound and look her age, some of that blobbiness falling away as she tries to pump herself up.

"I mean-- I'm a little scared about going up against something that big again, I guess. Are all Metal Demons like that?" she wonders aloud, then shakes her head. "I'm not sure if I'll be able to keep up properly, but--..." she puffs up again, then nods her head in a not-so-quiet determination. "... yeah... I'll do what I can. And I'll figure out a design that'll make Rephaim proud, just you watch."

That much seems to firm her resolve, and the smile she gives Lunata afterrwards is warm and genuine. "Aah, you really got kind of amazing, talking like that, though! If you're not careful, you'll get cooler than Jay!"

"--oh, um, ma'am," she adds immediately, possibly even missing Lunata's response to her outburst as she glances in Josephine's direction. "Um, once I've got some possible designs together, d'you mind giving them a double-check? The stuff I make tends to be kind of-- well, it works, but it doesn't always work well, y'know? If I'm gonna be maintaining the Rephaim and upgrading Big Shal, I don't wanna settle for that much. I kind of need to learn how to bridge that gap properly."

Pppause.

"Wah-- there's dinosaurs?!"

<Pose Tracker> Lunata Croze has posed.

"O-obey..." Lunata frowns just a bit, but she can't deny that the cube does try to exert its own will over her. She nods further as she smiles and says, "Thank you so much, Josie! I really appreciate your help with this." She laces her fingers again, totally not looking like someone who really looks at place in the helm of a Gear cockpit.

She looks towards Shalune with a mumble of, "I heard there were nice ones... but I'm not sure. It's like-- people, right? There are mean people too. But, it's okay, Shalune, we'll get through any kind of trial together!" She hugs Shalune a bit tighter, such besties!

A pause...

"D-dinosaurs?!"

Somewhere in the Blackmoon Forest, a Rancor goes 'grok' as it rolls over in its sleep. '?'